Returning to the dorm, Lin Qingyue threw herself onto the soft bed like a salted fish whose bones had been removed.
Lying on her back, she called up the System Store interface.
The Display hovered against the ceiling, rows of alluring cards flowing past.
Ganyu, Shenhe, Firefly, Topaz...
Every single name made her heart burn with desire.
But their price tags, without exception, were all upwards of 20000 Elation Value.
With her own balance that had just broken 10000, wanting to make a targeted exchange was purely an idiot's daydream.
"Gacha pulling is a bottomless pit, and targeted exchange is too expensive..."
Lin Qingyue muttered.
With over 10000 Elation Value, she could go to the Permanent Pool and gamble for a guaranteed gold drop.
But that massive mixed pool had all sorts of monsters and freaks. If she went bankrupt pulling someone she didn't want, she would lose out big time.
"Looks like I still need to actively generate income."
She did a salted fish roll to sit up and pushed her door open.
In the living room, Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian had their heads close together around a personal terminal, occasionally letting out one or two suppressed exclamations.
"Sis, come quick! The school forum has blown up!"
Lin Xiyue, sharp-eyed as ever, immediately waved excitedly when she saw her come out.
Lin Qingyue lazily leaned over and took a glance.
On the terminal screen, Tianshu University's campus forum was being flooded by a bold, red-highlighted post.
[[Video] A Gundam Priest appears at the opening ceremony! One sword strike shatters the perception of the strongest sophomores! Is this reasonable?]
Clicking into it revealed an edited ultra-clear video.
The person who filmed it was clearly someone who knew their stuff. The camerawork was professional, capturing the entire process of their "Quantum Battleship" squad's counterattack to the complete annihilation of the opposing team in vivid detail, with the pacing maxed out.
The climax of the video, naturally, was the scene of Lin Qingyue, transformed into Noelle, sending Guo Tao flying with a strike of "Excalibur" amidst a sky full of Displays and passionate BGM.
This segment was replayed three times, thoughtfully accompanied by slow-motion close-ups, with every frame brimming with violent aesthetics.
The comment section had long since exploded, and the thread was refreshing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
[1L: Front row group photo! I announce that from today onwards, Lin Qingyue is my biological junior sister from different parents! Who's in favor, who's against?]
[2L: This is a fucking Priest? Even the military's combat mechas aren't this exaggerated, right? If that sword slashed down, even our Principal might not be able to block it, right?]
[3L: Calm down, upstairs! The Principal could definitely take it easily!]
-
Lin Xiyue looked at the screen full of praise, puffing out her chest with shared pride, her small face practically screaming "My Sis is super awesome."
"Sis, we've become celebrities!"
"Stay calm, it's just routine."
Lin Qingyue said this, but she was actually in a very good mood.
The System's notification chimed in her mind at just the right moment.
[Ding! Because you sparked a phenomenal discussion on campus, created immense "entertainment," and garnered a sea of attention, Elation Value +666!]
Only 666 points?
Lin Qingyue raised an eyebrow.
The marginal effect of the shock brought by sheer power diminished way too fast.
It seems that next time, she would have to pull a stunt that was even more mind-blowing.
Perhaps her desire to win shouldn't be so heavy; gambling on Melody Beyond the Strings to produce a character completely unexpected by both friend and foe alike would be much more entertaining.
"Alright, stop looking," Lin Qingyue clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the three back.
"Fame is one thing, but strength is the foundation. Tonight, we'll use the ingredients the queen gave us to cook a feast in celebration, and tomorrow we officially start classes."
"Yay!"
-
It was the dead of night.
After confirming that her sister was fast asleep, Lin Qingyue skillfully activated her spatial teleportation.
The feeling of weightlessness vanished in a flash, and the familiar fresh scent of vegetation in the Elven Royal Capital's bedchamber already lingered at her nose.
Ilanier was leaning against the window reading a book. The moonlight flowed like water, bathing her in a hazy, holy aura.
Hearing the movement, the queen raised her gaze, warmth rippling in her wine-red eyes.
"You're here."
Lin Qingyue stepped forward, familiarly embracing her from behind. She lightly rested her chin in the crook of Ilanier's shoulder, inhaling the fragrance of her hair.
"Yeah, I missed you."
Ilanier's body trembled slightly before she completely relaxed, softly leaning back into her embrace.
"Where is Cyrene?"
"Waiting for you, her Sis Ilanier."
Lin Qingyue chuckled softly. With a mere thought, [As I've Written] emerged. From within the light, the exquisitely adorable Cyrene joyfully pounced out.
"Sis! Sis Ilanier!"
The little one called out in a sweet, milky voice, diving into Lin Qingyue's arms before reaching out her little hand to grab Ilanier's fingers.
The heartwarming daily routine of a "family of three" familiarly began.
Having eaten a few pastries, Cyrene's energy was fully replenished, and she didn't seem sleepy in the least.
She broke free from Ilanier's embrace and chased after the glowing butterflies in the garden. Her pink figure flickered among the flowers, and her silvery laughter filled the entire courtyard.
Ilanier's gaze followed her the whole time, a maternal radiance practically overflowing from her eyes.
Watching this scene, Lin Qingyue felt a trace of unease gradually well up inside her.
Cyrene was growing too fast—faster than she had anticipated.
Was this really a good thing?
Would she... remember her heavy and sorrowful past much sooner because of this?
Just then, Cyrene stopped in her tracks.
She stood in front of a blooming cluster of faintly glowing Moonwhisper Flowers, tilting her little head as if trying to recognize something.
A moment later, she pointed her little finger at the flowers, turned her head toward Lin Qingyue and Ilanier, and in a tone tinged with a bit of confusion and nostalgia, softly yet clearly uttered a name.
"Aedes Elysiae..."
Lin Qingyue set her teacup down with a heavy thud.
A drop of scalding tea splashed onto the back of her hand, but she didn't feel a thing.
All the sounds of the world faded away in that instant, leaving only the dull, stubborn thud of her own heartbeat, pounding fiercely against her eardrums, beat after beat.
It was here.
It had come, after all.
Seeing that the two did not respond, Cyrene repeated herself, her enunciation much more fluent this time.
"Aedes Elysiae, has very similar flowers."
After speaking, a confused expression appeared on her little face, as if she didn't understand why she knew this.
All the light and sound in the garden froze.
Fuck.
Lin Qingyue cursed internally.
The thing she worried about the most was happening in a way she couldn't stop.
Demiurge.
The tragic hero who had chosen to stay in the past, using herself as an anchor to seal Amphoreus's ending.
Aedes Elysiae was the place where she was born and raised.
Now that Cyrene remembered this name...
Did it mean she was one step closer to changing back into that gentle yet resolute Demiurge?
If she remembered everything, would she still be willing to stay in a world without Aedes Elysiae?
Would she still... be willing to stay by her side?
A chill shot up from the base of her spine, instantly freezing her to the bone.
She could face any powerful enemy and calmly accept any near-impossible challenge.
But the one thing she couldn't bear to imagine was her regained companion leaving her again in this way.
"Qingyue?"
Ilanier keenly sensed her distress.
Lin Qingyue snapped back to her senses, forcing out a smile that looked worse than crying. She quickly walked over to Cyrene, picked her up in her arms, and stuffed a fresh piece of osmanthus cake into her mouth.
"Children shouldn't speak nonsense. Here, eat this, this one is even more delicious."
With an almost rough gentleness, she interrupted Cyrene's thoughts.
Attracted by the sweet fragrance of the pastry, Cyrene quickly tossed the previous interlude to the back of her mind and began munching happily.
Full and satisfied, drowsiness crept up on her, and she soon started yawning in Lin Qingyue's arms.
Lin Qingyue swiftly retracted her back into [As I've Written], the whole process so fast it seemed as if she were running away from something.
Only after doing all this did she realize that a fine layer of cold sweat had seeped from her back.
The garden returned to silence, leaving only her and Ilanier.
"You are afraid."
Ilanier walked up to her, cupped her face, and forced her to meet her gaze.
In those wine-red eyes, her disheveled state was reflected, alongside an unmelting heartache and worry.
"I..."
Lin Qingyue opened her mouth, only to find her throat too dry to make a sound.
"You're afraid she'll remember everything, afraid she'll choose to leave you, aren't you?" Ilanier hit the nail on the head.
Lin Qingyue averted her eyes in disarray, silently admitting it.
Ilanier sighed softly, pulling her into her arms and gently stroking her tense back.
"Qingyue, listen to me."
Her voice carried a comforting strength.
"The awakening of her memories, the return of her true self—this is a part of her life. We cannot, nor should we, try to stop it."
Lin Qingyue remained stiff and didn't respond.
"What we can do is not lock her forever in a cradle of ignorance, but make ourselves stronger."
Ilanier's voice was gentle yet firm, every word striking against Lin Qingyue's heart.
"Strong enough to ensure that when she decides to spread her wings and soar, the sky above her is safe, and the earth beneath her feet is solid."
"No matter what she remembers, no matter who she chooses to become in the future, Qingyue, you and I—we will be her most solid backing, the sanctuary she can always return to."
"Is that... not enough?"
These words, like a warm tide, slowly washed away the icy panic in Lin Qingyue's heart.
Yeah, what was she afraid of?
Afraid of losing?
But true protection is never about confinement; it is about giving her the right and freedom to choose.
She slowly relaxed, hugged Ilanier back, and buried her face in the fragrant crook of her neck.
"Thank you, Ilanier."
"Silly."
Ilanier gently stroked her long hair, feeling the person in her arms calm down, and breathed a sigh of relief.
After a moment of tenderness, she suddenly gave a teasing smile, breathed hot air by Lin Qingyue's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Since you're so worried about her growth..."
"Shouldn't we work a little harder tonight?"
She added meaningfully.
"Let us first grow into a strong backing that can protect the 'child'!"